Mumbai, Sept 24 (PTI) With several parts of Maharashtra reeling under a dry spell, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday demanded the state government to hold a special session of the legislature to discuss the steps taken in view of the looming threat of drought.
Addressing a press conference here, he said the state government should hold cabinet meetings separately in Western Maharashtra, especially in Solapur which is one of the worst-hit districts, Vidarbha and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Marathwada.
The state government should prepare a dashboard which will give district-wise and taluka-wise information on financial assistance given to farmers, village-wise information of water tankers deployed, fodder shelter for farmers, Thackeray said, seeking a complete farm loan waiver.
The former Maharashtra CM said the dashboard should also have information on the assistance which was announced by the government last year.
Not only the India Meteorological Department (IMD), but international meteorological organisations had cautioned that El Nino will have an impact on the monsoon, he said.
He sought to know the drought mitigation steps the government has taken when these warnings were issued.
The Sena (UBT) president also said there was a prediction that Super El Nino might claim 16,000 lives in Mumbai.
“The government should hold a special session of the state legislature, preferably next week and spell out the mitigation steps undertaken by it because the government has to fulfil all the assurances given on the floor of the House,” he said.
According to Thackeray, he had waived farm loan when he was the chief minister.
“The dry spell will push the farmers to commit suicide. Hence, there should be a complete loan waiver and the government must stand as guarantors as it has done for some sugar factories,” he said.
Accusing the government of spending on “needless” projects, like the Shaktipeeth Highway and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, he claimed that “splurging” on these projects was being done only for the benefit of contractors.
Thackeray also sought to know why the government was delaying the announcement of help to farmers when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was himself witnessing their plight.
All guardian ministers in the affected areas must be given the task of overseeing relief operations, he said.
Thackeray said the looming drought will also force people to migrate and the government must look into this issue.
The former CM said he will start touring the affected region from Vidarbha.
CM Fadnavis on Wednesday visited parts of Latur, Dharashiv and Solapur districts to inspect the crops affected by scanty rainfall. On Thursday, he is visiting Washim and Amravati districts in the state’s Vidarbha region. PTI PR NP
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